Jesse Jackson And The Politics Of Charisma : The Rise And Fall Of The Push/Excel Program

Omtale

"On January 15, 1975, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was leading ademonstration around the White House to protest the lack of jobs forblack youths. As the demonstrators marched, Jackson was shocked todiscover that many of the black youths marching with him were drunkor on drugs, many of them ""out of control."" Abruptly, he called a haltto the demonstration and sent the marchers home.Within a few months, Jackson launched a national campaign in theurban high schools of the nation to save the black youths of his country,to get them off drugs and motivate them to work hard, study in school,develop self-discipline, and become successful in American society. Aprogram called PUSH for Excellence, or PUSH/Excel, was an outgrowthof his Operation PUSH organization. Society had no solutions for theblack teenagers whom Jackson was trying to help, and his efforts werehighly praised, at first, by the media and government officials."